Patriots win because they don't do dumb things other teams do

FOXBORO -- In addition to the obvious advantages of having the greatest coach and quarterback in NFL history, the Patriots benefit from their mortals also not doing stupid things.

When the loud and unruly Miami Dolphins dirtied the proceedings at Gillette Stadium on Sunday in hopes of distracting Bill Belichick's boys from the elemental concept of winning the game, Patriots players did as they are coached.

They just did their jobs.

"You've got to be able to control your emotions, to play with poise and play with aggressiveness. But do it legally and within the rules," said Coach Belichick after Sunday's AFC East spat. "I thought a number of our players did a good job of tying to keep their poise and (staying) focused on football."

Back down near sea level after winning in Denver and Mexico City the previous two weeks, the Patriots defeated the Dolphins, 35-17, for their seventh straight victory, improving to 9-2.

The Patriots began Sunday tied with the Steelers for the best record in the AFC. The teams will meet in Pittsburgh on Dec. 17.

Though sacked only once on Sunday, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady absorbed far too many cringe-worthy shots from Miami's rowdy defenders, who apparently have yet to master the fine line between aggressiveness and dirty. Brady (18 of 28, 227 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT) would have taken even more shots had the Patriots not rushed the ball 38 times for 196 yards, paced by Dion Lewis' 112 yards on 15 carries.

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In the third quarter, Lewis survived being yanked down by his facemask, which was grabbed by Miami defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, an infamous cheap-shot artist. There was no flag. Lewis called the chippiness just part of the game.

"I think (the officials are) trying to get it right," said Brady, his diplomacy intact after an18-point victory. "But it was an aggressive game. They've got an aggressive defense."

The Patriots were penalized seven times for 70 yards to Miami's six times for 52 yards. New England's penalties, though, included a 34-yard pass-interference call on Malcolm Butler, an intentional delay-of-game and honest mistakes.

Miami's violations were mostly stupidity.

Frustrated by the inevitability of it all -- having just failed early in the third quarter to land on a fumbled punt by Danny Amendola -- the Dolphins gooned it up during New England's scoring drive that made it 28-10. The Patriots were aided on that drive by 15-yard personal fouls called on Miami cornerbacks Xavier Howard and Bobby McCain. McCain was ejected for punching Amendola. McCain said he acted in self-defense. "That was a terrible series for us," said Dolphins coach Adam Gase.

That interminable third quarter was mostly a showcase for the teams' training staffs. It was the rare play when all 22 players arose after the whistle. "As (former Patriots linebacker Jerod) Mayo used to say, (football has) a 100-percent injury rate," said Patriots safety Devin McCourty.

While the Patriots have had their share of injuries (the list no doubt grew on Sunday), usually-injured tight end Rob Gronkowski has missed only one game so far this season. The Vegas over/under for Gronk's games played this season was 10.5. Gronkowski reached 10 games on Sunday when he had five catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

Yes, in the NFL every week there are teams -- even teams with winning records -- doing things that make you say, "That's something the Patriots never do."

Not being stupid is why New England on Sunday clinched the franchise's 17th consecutive winning season, the second-longest streak in NFL history behind the Dallas Cowboys of 1966-85. New England's is the longest such streak since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

"They're a smart team," said Miami quarterback Matt Moore after being sacked seven times by the Patriots on Sunday. "They have good players. But they don't beat themselves."

The Dolphins have lost five straight after being 4-2. They get another shot at the Patriots 13 days from now, in Florida. The Patriots are in Buffalo this coming Sunday.

When the Patriots lost their opener to the Chiefs -- on their way to a 2-2 start (0-2 at home) -- people around here quickly forgot having spent much of the off-season sizing up New England's chances of going 19-0. Perfection quickly eluded the 2017 Patriots. But their anticipated might is coming along, even if Sunday was far from their crispest example.

"We had some lapses in our play that we need to eliminate," said Belichick.

Four of New England's final five games are within the AFC East, including Sunday's win over the Dolphins. Their rivals have fallen obediently into line. The Patriots lead the division by three games over Buffalo with five games remaining. A ninth consecutive AFC East title (and 14th in the last 15 years) is in the bag. But we already knew that in July.

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